_Faces Of Kansas City: Don Lipovac

_ In this week's "Faces of Kansas City," anchor Brad
Stephens introduced viewers to a local man who made it to the top of his
profession in the United
States and was close to being the best in
the world.
When the Don Lipovac Band plays in Kansas
City, it's a party.
Lipovac has been packing dance halls in the metro for the past six decades.
Pictures show him playing the accordion as far back as a wedding dance in 1954
in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas
City, Kan.
Just four years later, Lipovac became the best of the best when he won the
national accordion competition at Carnegie Hall.
"1958 was the biggest year of my life,"
he said. "That's the trophy. It's not as big as if you win a golf
tournament -- ha, ha."
Lipovac went on to place fourth at the world competition that year in Brussels.
After that, Lipovac hit the big time with an appearance on the Lawrence Welk
Show.
"And I was drafted in the U.S. Army, all in 1958," he said.
"Wow, that was a big year. It was, yes."
Music is Lipovac's life. At age 5 he taught himself to play the accordion and
70 years later he's still playing. He has one of the most loyal followings
around.
"We've had the best crowds of any band in town," he said. "We've
had 600 to 800 people in our booster club."
Lipovac graduated from the Kansas City Conservatory of Music with a degree
in music theory. He said his favorite instrument has always been the accordion,
or what he calls the poor man's symphony.
Lipovac and his band don't travel like they used to. He said it wasn't long ago
that they would crisscross the United
States.
"One time I played in Milwaukee
in this famous polka bar, and I said what are the hours?" he said.
"They said 9 at night until 3 a.m."
And so Lipovac played for six straight hours wowing the crowd with a 28-pound
accordion strapped to his back.
Playing the accordion, he said, is a labor of love that is still close to his
heart today.